Lawmakers urging Senators to agree to House flood insurance measure

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers who represent districts from the Gulf Coast north to New Jersey and New York pleaded with the Senate on Thursday to protect coastal homeowners from a spike in flood insurance rates.

Under a bipartisan bill that the House of Representatives passed this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be required to continue subsidizing insurance coverage for flood-risk homes after they’re sold.

Homeowners also would be eligible to avoid being remapped into high-risk flood zones. Both provisions are expected to delay increases in flood insurance premiums.

The bill now faces a vote in the Senate, which passed its own flood insurance measure in January. House lawmakers are urging their colleagues across the Capitol to agree to their version.

“The Senate has a great opportunity to pass a very balanced, very sensible bill that provides much-needed reforms and does it in a very compassionate way,” Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., said during a news conference.

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